Latch mechanism



H. J. MURPHY LATCH MECHANISM Filed July 19, i 1939 June 16, 1942. v 2 ,286,992

5, Sheets-Sheet 1 i j, |F I W i June 16, 1942. H, J, MURPHY LATCH MECHANISM- Filed July 19, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 {(119 um m gm LI) INVENTOR v l lowARp J MURPHY by WJHA ATTY.

H. J. MURPHY LATCH MECHANISM Filed July-19, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 lNVENTOR HOWARD J. MURPHY by ATTY;

June 16, 1942., v

Patented June 16, 1942 UHTED STATES PATNT OFFICE LATCH MECHANISM Application July 19, 1939, Serial No. 285,248

2 Claims.

latches of automobile vehicles.

Referring to the drawings, in which I have illustrated preferred embodiments of my invention as applied to the door of an automobile:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of an automobile door taken from the outside of the door with the door partly broken away;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view partly in elevation along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the latch keeper;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the latch bolt;

Fig, 6 is a section along the line Ii6 of Fig. 3;

Fig. '7 is a section along the line 'I-'i of Fig. 1 showing the latch bolt retracted by means of the outside handle;

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. '7 but showing the manner in which the latch bolt is retracted by the inside handle;

Fig. 9 is a section taken along the line 99 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is an enlarged section on the line Ii!'- I ll of Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 is an enlarged elevation partly in section of the inside handle retainer spring and supporting means;

Fig. 12 is an enlarged section taken along the line t2I2 of Fig. 1;

Fig, 13 is an enlarged section taken along the line Iii-l3 of Fig. 1; r

Fig. 14 is a diagrammatic view of the latch mechanism showing the inside handle in position to lock the bolt against retraction by the outer handle, normal position of the inner handle being shown by dotted lines;

Fig. 15 is a view similar to Fig. 14 showing normal o eration of the inner handle to retract the latch bolt;

Fig. 16 is a plan view looking in the direction of the arrow A of Fig. 14; and

Fig. 17 is a section taken along the line I'I--I'I of Fig. 14.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, I have shown a portion of an automobile door including an outer side I, an inner side 2 and an edge 3. The door is of the type now commonly used and provides window glass (Figs. 1 and 16) extending upwardly through a substantially horizontally disposed window casing 5. An upholstery panel 6 is mounted upon the outer surface of the inner side 2, as is the custom in automobile manufacture. A latch bolt is pivotally erating latching engagement with a keeper 8 secured to a door jamb 9 (Fig. 2). An inner handle Ill and an outer handle I I are assembled with respective inner and outer sides of the door and provide actuating portions disposed Within the door and operable upon a crank pin I2 extending from the latch bolt I into the interior of the door to retract the bolt on manual operation of the handles. The inner and outer handles I I] and II are pivotally attached to the respective sides of the door and arranged in a way to op erate independently on the crank pin I2 to retract the bolt. The door may be locked from the inside by moving the inner handle It in a straight line movement as distinguished from its normal pivotal movement so as to block retraction of the bolt by the outer handle in'a manner to be described.

Referring particularly to Figs. 2, 3 and 6 of the drawings, a plate I3 is secured flush with the edge 3 of the door by means such as the screws Id. The latch bolt I, which has a segmental latching portion I5 and a tail portion I6 (Figs. 3 and 5), is secured exteriorly of the plate I3 and adapted to pivot in a vertical plane on the pin I'i. One end of the pin I'I extends into the plate It in a drive fit and is headed over on the inner surface of the plate I3, as most clearly shown in Fig. 6. The crank pin I2, secured in the tail I6 of the latch bolt by a drive fit, extends from the tail through a slot I8 in the plate I3 and an opening It, (Fig. 14) in the edge 3 of the door horizontally into the interior of the door. The lower end I 9 of the slot I8 may provide a stop cooperating with the crank pin I2 to limit rotation of the latch in an unlatching direction, as will be understood from inspection of Fig. 3.

Referring in detail to the construction of the outer handle II and its application to the side I of the door, a face plate 28 is secured to the outer surface of the side I. The face plate provides an opening 2I in alignment with an opening 22 in the side I (Figs. 9 and 10). Spaced parallel ears 23 integral with the side I adjacent the opening 22 extend into the interior of the door in substantially perpendicular relation to the normal plane of the side I, as most clearly shown in Fig. 9. The face plate 23 is secured to the side B through means such as the screws 25 (Fig. 7) and provides wing portions 25 integral with the plate adjacent the opening ZI and extending through the opening 22 of the side I in substantially parallel relation to the ears 2323. The outer handle 3 preferably comprises a manudisposed outside an edge 3 of the door for coopally operative portion 26 normally disposed in vertical position adjacent the plate 29, as most clearly shown in Figs 3 and 8, and a bolt-actuating portion in the form of an arm 21 in rightangular relation to the portion 25 and extending through the openings 2I of the plate 29 and the opening 22 of the side I. The free end 28 of the manually operative portion 25 may be curved slightly outwardly away from the plate 29 enabling the handle to be easily grasped by the operator. A one-piece member 29 (Figs. 8 and is assembled with the handle 3 in my preferred form and comprises a base plate 39 secured to the under surface of the arm 21 by any suitable means such as rivets 3| (Fig. 8) and spaced parallel wing portions 32 extending downwardly in rightangular relation to the base 39. The handle H is assembled in pivotal relation to the outer side 3 of the door through means of a pivotal pin 33 extending through the wings of the face plate 29 and the wings 32 of the member 29 (Fig. 1G). The ears 23 of the side I oooperates with the free ends of the pin to limit movement of the same, as most clearly shown in Figs. 9 and 10. A spring member 35 (Figs. 9

and 10) is assembled with the pin 33 of the i outer handle and operates to return the handle from unlatching position to normal position, as will be understood by those skilled in the art. A spring member 36 (Figs. '1 and 10) having one end assembled with the pin 33 and its opposite end disposed beneath the crank pin I2 maintains the latch bolt 1 in latching position.

Operation of the outer handle I I to unlatoh the door is most clearly shown in Fig. 7. Thus it will be seen that when the manually operative portion 23 of the handle is moved outwardly away from the side I of the door, the handle pivots on the-pin 33 causing the arm 21 to engage the crank pin I2 thus moving the crank pin in a downward direction so as to retract the latch bolt from the keeper 8. Retraction of the latch bolt is against the tension provided by the spring member 35 with the result that when pressure upon the handle is released, the latch bolt will return to normal latching position simultaneously with the return of the handle II to its normal position. It will be seen from inspection of Figs. 8 and 9 that when the handle II is in normal position, the arm 21 is disposed above the crank pin I2 in spaced relation thereto. This rel- .2

ative position of the handle II in normal position is important for reasons set out below in connection with cooperation of the inner handle with the outer handle to prevent unlatching of the door by the outer handle, as will be described.

Referring in detail to the construction of the inner handle I9 and its assembly with the inner door 2, the handle has a manually operative portion 31 projecting through the door casing 5, a control shaft 38 preferably assembled with the side I5 on the interior thereof, and an actuating portion or dog 39 extending in angular relation to the control shaft 38 at its opposite end from the manually operative portion 31. The control shaft 38 extends upwardly through a slot 49 (Fig. 16) of the casing 5 and has a notch 4| (Figs. 1 and 14) in one side thereof adjacent the manually operative portion 31 for cooperative fastener engagement with material of the casing 5 adjacent an end 42 of the slot (Figs. 15 and 16) for a purpose to be described. In my preferred construction an inwardly pressed embossment 43 is provided in the side 2 of the door having openings 44 therein to receive the control shaft 38, as most clearly shown in Fig. 2. A

hook-shaped portion 55 (Figs. 1 and 13) may be struck from the side 2 of the door for supporting the control shaft intermediate the embossment 43 and its manually operative portion 31. As a means for supporting the control shaft 39 intermediate its ends for pivotal movement, supporting ears 49 and 41 are struck out of the embossment 43 to project toward the inside f the automobile (Fig. 12). The ear 46 has a portion 43 extending outwardly in right-angular direction to the side 2 and an upwardly extending portion 49 at its outer end substantially parallel to the side 2. The ear 41 extends outwardly from the side 2 in right-angular direction and preferably inclined relative to the ear 49 and cooperates with the ear 46 to receive the control shaft 39 between them, as most clearly shown in Fig. 12.

As a means for maintaining the inner handle in looking position, I have provided a fastener member having a substantially flat base 50 disposed between the side 2 and the control shaft 38. The base 59, as shown in Fig. 11, comprises spaced legs 5| integrally joined to a rectangular end portion 52. The end portion 52 has wing portions 53 at opposite ends extending laterally beyond the legs 53 and the legs 5I-5I have laterally extending wing portions 54 at their free ends. The fastener member is maintained in assembly with the side 2 through engagement of the wings 53 and 54 behind the ends 55 of the supporting ears, as most clearly shown in Fig. 11. The fastener member 49 has a resilient tongue 55 integrally joined to the end portion 52 between the legs 5l-5I and bent out of the plane of the base 59. A cup-shaped embossment 51 is formed in the tongue 55 adjacent its free end for cooperative fastener engagement through an opening 53 of the control shaft 38 to maintain the inner handle in looking position, as hereinafter more fully described.

Operation of the inner handle is carried out, when the handle is in normal unlocked position, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 14, by grasping the manually operative portion 31 and lifting the handle in an upward direction. During this action the control shaft 38 pivots on the end 59 of the angularly extending portion 38 of the supporting ear 46, as most clearly. shown in Fig. 15. As a result of this pivotal action the actuating portion or dog 39 engages the crank pin I2 of the latch bolt to retract the bolt.

The inner handle is returned from its boltretracting position, shown in Fig. 15, to normal position, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 14, through the spring member which has sufficient strength to overcome the weight of the inner handle and return the latch bolt to locking position, at the same time moving the inner handle to its normal position. It will be noticed that when the inner handle is in normal unlocked position, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 14, the dog 39 is disposed substantially in engagement with the pin I2 laterally beyond the arm 21 of the outer handle. Furthermore, the width of the dog 39 is less than the distance in normal position of the outer handle between the 21 and the pin I2. Thus to lock the latch mechanism from the inside of the automobile, the inner handle is moved in a straight linedirection and away from the edge 3 of the door to dispose the dog 39 between the arm 21 and the crank pin 52. During this action the slot M of the inner handle receives the edge 42 of the opening 45 looking the edge 69 of the inner handle adjacent the lower side of the slot 4| behind the casing 5 (Fig. 14) thus preventing movement of the handle in an upward position. As a result of this locking engagement of the inner handle and the window casing 5, it is impossible to move the dog 39 even though the arm 3'! exerts pressure on the same in the direction of the pin l2 by attempted operation of the outer handle. Thus when the inner handle is in locking position, it is impossible to retract the latch bolt by the outer handle. During movement of the inner handle from normal position to locking position the opening 58 of the control shaft 38 moves into alignment with the embossment 51 of the fastener member 49, at which time the embossment snaps into the opening and engages the walls of the same, as shown in Fig. 17, so as to prevent unintentional movement of the inner handle from locked position to normal operating position. The inner handle may be purmy invention. Therefore, although I have illustrated and described preferred embodiments, I

do not wish to be limited thereby as the scope of my invention is best defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A door latch mechanism comprising alatch bolt applicable to the edge of a door and pivoted exteriorly of the edge, said bolt having an arm forming a part thereof and extending into the interior of said door, inner and outer handles pivotally assembled with said door, said handles having actuating portions at their free ends disposed Within said door and independently operable on said bolt in normal pivotal movement of said handles to retract said bolt, means forming part of said door supporting said inner handle and guiding said inner handle in straight line movement which is of said pivotal movement, said actuating portion of said outer handle being normally positioned above said arm in spaced re lation thereto and said actuating portion of said inner handle being disposed laterally beyond said actuating portion of said outer handle in position to move between said arm and said actuating portion of said outer handle on said straight line movement of said inner handle thereby blocking operation of said actuating portion of said outer handle on said arm.

2. A door latch mechanism comprising a latch bolt applicable to the edge of a door and pivoted exteriorly of the edge, said bolt having an arm forming a part thereof and extending horizontally into the interior of said door, inner and outer handles having shafts pivotally assembled with said door, said shafts having actuating portions at their free ends disposed within said door and independently movable in vertical planes in normal pivotal movement of said shafts to retract said bolt, means forming part of said door supporting said inner handle and guiding said inner handle in straight horizontal movement which is independent of said pivotal movement, said actuating portion of said outer handle being normally positioned above said arm in spaced relation thereto and said actuating portion of said inner handle being disposed laterally beyond said actuating portion of said outer handle in position to mOVe between said arm and said actuating portion of said outer handle on said horizontal movement of said shaft of said inner handle thereby blocking operation of said actuating portion of said outer handle on said arm.

HOWARU J. MURPHY. 

